Editorial

Amazing tools available to deliver today's news

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The "Newsboy" airplane gracing the front of every day's edition of the Gazette is a tribute to founder Harry Strunk's penchant for using the latest in technology to bring the best possible product to his readers at the earliest possible time.

Strunk, who founded the newspaper a century ago next year, continued to explore new ways to produce and deliver the newspaper over the years.

He would be amazed to see the way the electronic revolution has changed the news business in even the last decade.

One was the way digital photography has replaced and surpassed film. What used to be a time-consuming, expensive, messy, risky process -- we once purchased hundreds of feet of black-and-white 35 mm film each month -- has turned into a tidy, instant computerized operation.

A fleet of compact cars still plies the roads of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas to deliver the daily product, but subscribers have the option of receiving exact replicas of the print edition instantly over the Internet.

And, each day's edition is no longer confined to what can be shoehorned into the rectangular confines of each printed page. Many stories include World Wide Web addresses for more information, with hot-links on the online edition to take readers to more information on any subject that piques their interest.

The lines between print and broadcast journalism are further blurred with the Gazette's YouTube channels. Check out Gazette staffer Justin Bass' latest work, a professional-quality video recap of the Red Willow County Fair, by clicking on the YouTube link at mccookgazette.com.

Yes, Harry Strunk would be impressed if he saw all the tools that are being used in producing his newspaper today -- but we have a feeling he would still be pressing the boundaries.

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  • Harry would probably be proud to have you all on staff. I don't think any 'paper-boy' will ever forget the time they spent delivering papers for the Gazette, no matter the length of time, in the job.

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Wed, Aug 4, 2010, at 4:37 PM
  • I am sure Mr. Strunk would be impressed with the changing times. He also saw lots of changes in the years that he was at the Gazette. I guess its called progress.

    I am also sure Mr. Strunk would make some changes about the paper that is being published today.

    HE, would make lots of changes and the McCook area could be proud of the local paper.

    As far as the dark room being a time-consuming, expensive,messy, risky process------it sure could be if the person didn't know what they were doing.

    This article almost sounds like a politician talking.

    How great we are and what a wonderful job we are doing !!!!!!

    It would be interesting to see all of the changes Mr. Strunk would make if he was in charge for JUST ONE WEEK!!!!!

    The Gazette Sure would be a different paper.

    -- Posted by Just a reader on Fri, Aug 6, 2010, at 7:18 AM
  • How so?

    -- Posted by npwinder on Mon, Aug 9, 2010, at 12:24 AM
  • npwinder; In so many ways you would not believe!!!!

    Did you ever read a newspaper that Harry D. or Allen D. published ????

    -- Posted by Just a reader on Mon, Aug 9, 2010, at 9:19 PM
  • No I haven't.

    -- Posted by npwinder on Tue, Aug 10, 2010, at 9:45 PM
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